for all backyard mechanics: why o why had I not used an impact driver on stubborn suspension bolts prior to this week? the time I have wasted... is it possible to love a tool?



ok, don't answer that.

I own an electric 1/2 impact wrench. Amazingly usefull. In a pinch, I use the next door neighbor's pneumatic one. He has 150' of 1/2" hose and a compressor tank the size of a hot water heater.

I have gotten the penetrating oil on suspension bolts to smoke from the friction when pulling control arms off of a 30+ year old Buick.

Always wondered if they are any good.

sometimes they are the only way to get your old nuts off. Just give them a good whack. Maybe a squirt of lube.

.. not the best choice for driving screws sometimes though ...

Couldn't live without one. Makes getting rusty or stuck bolts off easy. Use it every single time I work on the car. I can count on one hand the amount of times I've used it to put bolts back on though. The electric ones really aren't comparable to a good air one. Get a 1/2" drive and a 30 or 40 gallon compressor.

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C(-)ris

Meh. I use a 6 foot long breaker bar to get my nuts off. And when the stud strips and shears off... well, it needed replacing anywhere.

600 ft-lbs of torque, baby !


(Not really, the pipe fits over my torque wrench. I'm good. I don't warp my wheels)

Air tools remain my most-wanted toys, even as I do less car work every year it seems. One day I'll have a smaller compressor. One day.

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cbelt3
Meh. I use a 6 foot long breaker bar to get my nuts off. And when the stud strips and shears off... well, it needed replacing anywhere.

600 ft-lbs of torque, baby !


(Not really, the pipe fits over my torque wrench. I'm good. I don't warp my wheels)

The nice thing about the impact wrench is that it has a hammering effect with the turn, not just sheer torque. This makes it easier to get nuts or bolts unstuck without sheering them off. It is one of those tools that you don't realize how useful it is till you try one.

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C(-)ris

that impact force helps penetrating oil flow into the threads, and breaks apart the corrosion on a microscopic level as well.

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cbelt3
Meh. I use a 6 foot long breaker bar to get my nuts off.

Thanks for sharing.

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"They don't call me Colonel because I'm some dumb a$$ army guy" Colonel Homer J. Simpson

Doe anyone use torque sticks with air tools?

some people have figured out air pressure setting vs torque, some use torque sticks, and the rest use torque wrenches.

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Racer X
some people have figured out air pressure setting vs torque, some use torque sticks, and the rest use torque wrenches.

The first group will often be off by a significant amount, the second can over torque if they use improper procedure with the sticks. Only accurate method is properly using a torque wrench.

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Racer X
sometimes they are the only way to get your old nuts off. Just give them a good whack. Maybe a squirt of lube.

uh huh

Impact drivers and impact wrenches are two different tools.

I have a Makita 14.4 volt impact driver that's great when driving lag bolts and such.

I have a 110 volt 1/2 inch impact wrench to work on my vehicles.

I did have air tools until I gave them to my grand daughters husband.

Getting too old to use these kinda tools anymore.

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Fritz

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Racer X
sometimes they are the only way to get your old nuts off. Just give them a good whack. Maybe a squirt of lube.

uh huh

Some people just step right into it, don't they?

I just used my impact wrench yesterday. It was easy peasy replacing the blades on the lawn tractor with it. I've struggled with this job in the past without an impact wrench, and it was always a nightmare.

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“There is no greater calling than to serve your fellow men. There is no greater contribution than to help the weak. There is no greater satisfaction than to have done it well.”

- Walter Reuther

"Impact Driver" is a great porn name.

This is the kind of impact driver I just bought.

[www.harborfreight.com]

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[www.stopforumspam.com]

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Racer X
sometimes they are the only way to get your old nuts off. Just give them a good whack. Maybe a squirt of lube.

Come again?

I'm getting ready to rebuild the suspension on my Austin Healey. I think some of the bolts haven't been removed since 1965, so an impact wrench would be good. I have a little Porter Cable pancake air compressor and it's SCFM specs don't seem high enough to meet the air impact wrench or ratchet specs I've seen. However, I'm wondering if it would work OK for short bursts. Has anybody any experience with this kind of application? I'm also wondering what would be the best low cost impact wrench to get. Advice appreciated.

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"So be proud to be a decent American instead of just a w'anker whipping up fear!" - Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland

squirt it good with WD-40.
Tap with hammer.
TIGHTEN them just a tad.
Then try your preferred way to loosen them... but NOT with a long-handled, torque-happy wrench.
If need be, try to apply some cold, perhaps freon can upside down to cool, shrink the parts.

Good luck.

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[www.stopforumspam.com]

davester, invest in 6-pt. sockets; don't even think of using 12-pt sockets for hard to remove stuff … a $40 angle grinder will handle any problem nut and bolt you can't loosen … PB Blaster is another good alternative to WD-40.

PB Blaster, JB80, Liquid Wrench (with teflon if you can find it) or order some Gibb's Oil.

and 6 point sockets for sure.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/17/2010 06:08PM by Racer X.

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davester
I'm getting ready to rebuild the suspension on my Austin Healey. I think some of the bolts haven't been removed since 1965, so an impact wrench would be good. I have a little Porter Cable pancake air compressor and it's SCFM specs don't seem high enough to meet the air impact wrench or ratchet specs I've seen. However, I'm wondering if it would work OK for short bursts. Has anybody any experience with this kind of application? I'm also wondering what would be the best low cost impact wrench to get. Advice appreciated.

this stuff works great, but I'll assume it's bad for the environment. it works best on rusted bolts as one would find on an exhaust manifold

I'm hesitant to tell people about it who will use it with reckless abando, but I know you're not one (and you others, watch out)

[www.amazon.com]